CAMC

Title

Surgeons use new imaging tool to detect and treat early bladder cancers - Archived

Date

01/11/2013

Article

CAMC is one of a select number of medical centers nationwide offering a newly approved technology for the detection of papillary cancer of the bladder in patients with known or suspected bladder cancer.

Cysview® is used to detect bladder cancer in individuals suspected or known to have lesion(s) in the bladder, based on a prior cystoscopy (examination of the bladder and urethra using a cystoscope, which is a thin, tube-like instrument with a light and a lens for viewing). It also helps to better treat early bladder cancer by improving the ability to remove early tumors that are not yet visible with traditional white light cystoscopy.

It is used with the photodynamic diagnostic system, which includes a white light setting to illuminate the bladder during a routine cystoscopy, and a blue light setting to induce and view fluorescence (i.e., Cysview®), thereby enabling physicians to detect lesions in the bladder.

Cancer of the bladder is among the most common cancers in men diagnosed at CAMC. Nationally, bladder cancer is the fourth most common type of cancer in men, and the eighth most common in women. Smoking is the most common cause of bladder cancer. The most common initial sign of the disease is red-colored urine, which calls for urine cytology (tests performed on cells in urine to detect disease), imaging of the kidneys and cystoscopy.

"Bladder cancer is difficult to visualize and to treat effectively," said Samuel Deem, DO, who specializes in urologic oncology. "A missed diagnosis or less than optimal resection can result in delayed or incomplete treatment, which may lead to serious complications and a lower chance of survival for patients with potentially aggressive tumors."

"Cysview® has been shown in multiple clinical trials to significantly improve tumor free recurrence rates when compared to white light cystoscopy and we are proud to offer this latest technology to the people of southern West Virginia," Deem said.

Advances in diagnostic technology enable a more accurate diagnosis of bladder tumors and more complete resection of those tumors at time of surgery.

The standard diagnostic procedure for bladder cancer combines testing urine and possibly visually inspecting the inside of the bladder with white light cystoscopy to localize the tumors. The physician performs Transurethral resection, a form of cystoscopy-guided biopsy, of suspicious areas of the bladder, and then test the tissue samples to determine if they are malignant.

Cysview technology will allow more complete resection of all tumors at the time of surgery to decrease the chance of recurrence and improve outcomes.